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PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ Unites Palestinians, Israeli Soldiers

By

Jeff Yang

Aug 30, 2013 10:00 am ET

A video of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers dancing to K-Pop superstar PSY‘s globe-spanning hit “Gangnam Style” has gone viral — primarily because of the location where the, er, horseplay took place: At a Palestinian hotspot in Hebron known to be frequented by the Jabari, a clan closely linked to Hamas.

According to Israel’s Channel 2, the soldiers, belonging to the Rotem battalion of the elite Givati Brigade, reportedly heard the unmistakable strains of the song coming from an alleyway and left patrol to investigate. Discovering the party in progress, they decided to join in, despite being dressed in full combat gear — flak vests, fatigues and helmets — and carrying their Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles.

The Palestinians, who were in the process of celebrating a wedding, apparently chose to welcome the soldiers into the throng, laughingly embracing them and even hoisting one of them up on their shoulders. An onlooker captured the event with a smartphone and posted it to Al-Fajer TV, a Palestinian news site, where it quickly spread across the Middle East blogosphere and, upon being aired on Israeli television, around the world.